


I'll Be There For You

by facetheraven56



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Bisexual Clara Oswin Oswald, Childhood Friends, Coming Out, Drunk Sex, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, Lesbian Rose Tyler, Smut, Strap-Ons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:27:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27534490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/facetheraven56/pseuds/facetheraven56
Summary: Clara takes Rose out to a bar after Rose breaks up with her boyfriend. What follows is a huge mistake - but Amy Pond thinks she can solve it.
Relationships: Clara Oswin Oswald/Rose Tyler
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

"Why don't _we_ have sex?"

It took Clara Oswald a while to register the words coming out of her friend's mouth. They were sitting in a secluded corner of the bar Clara had taken them to, after suggesting to Rose that they should go and commiserate together over failed relationships. Rose, at long last, had broken up with her latest boyfriend, a veritable misogynist and failed DJ. Clara couldn't even remember his name. Dennis? Derek? In any case, despite her advice, Rose had been attached to him for the last couple months.

That morning, it had ended for good, when she caught him in bed with someone else. Clara, being ever the good friend, decided to take her out somewhere.

Maybe, she thought, those words Rose said weren't surprising for someone in her state of mind. Clara had been openly bisexual for nearly ten years, and had known Rose since childhood - she was the person Clara first came out to, and their friendship had only gotten stronger since. They told each other nearly everything, and were both the other's emotional rock in difficult times.

But Rose, to Clara's knowledge, was straight as an arrow. The dejected and heartbroken blonde was clearly grasping for comfort, something to numb the pain. Clara considered herself enough of a faithful friend to not let her do something rash.

"Rose - you're drunk."

Rose giggled. "Well yeah, that's sort of the point isn't it?" She took another sip from her glass. "But what I'm saying is - well, why _can't_ we, y'know - do it?" She giggled again. "It wouldn't mean anything, and we both trust each other. Just something to do when we're both feeling lonely. Y'know, like a friends-with-benefits type thing."

Clara gulped. She wanted desperately to refuse Rose's point about how it "wouldn't mean anything", but that would mean admitting to the fact that Clara had had a crush on Rose for god knows how long - probably since they were children. It had died down in recent years, with Rose jumping from boyfriend to boyfriend and Clara herself getting in a few half-decent relationships (some of which almost didn't fall apart), but Clara could never shake the thought of wondering what it would be like to kiss those beautiful lips of hers. 

She stammered out: "R-rose, aren't you - like, straight, though?"

Rose just snorted. "I guess. Does it matter? Guys are such shitheads, maybe I should date girls. At least girls wouldn't think of me of their hot, dumb, blonde sex doll."

"That's not true -" Clara started.

Rose cut in. "Yeah, but it is though. Men look at me and just want a chance to bang a blonde. And the worst part is, they're not even good at the sex. At least a woman would know what she's doing, hopefully."

Clara bit her lip inconspicuously. She _knew_ deep down that it probably was the alcohol in Rose's system talking, just as she knew it was the alcohol in her _own_ system preventing her from making a proper retort. If Clara were sober, she would be able to think clearly, but there Rose was, basically propositioning her and looking like _that_ , with her hair all tousled and that low-cut dress - god, she looked hot. Her decades old crush was rearing its ugly head yet again - she only hoped she'd be able to resist.

"You're just saying that..." was Clara's weak response, while her head spun with a million different thoughts. 

"I'm saying it because I'm really, really horny right now," said Rose. (Clara trembled at the low, sultry voice she used for it.) "And yes, drunk." She giggled at that. "But I think it would be good for the both of us. Get it out of our system, so to speak."

"W-what do you mean?" Clara stuttered.

"Come on, Clara, I know you think I'm hot. You've probably had a crush on me for years." Rose smiled. "It'll just be friends helping friends. What do you say?"

Clara couldn't say anything. The alcohol had rendered her thoughts nonexistent. Or maybe it was Rose's doing, sitting there looking hotter than hell and saying all those things. Clara couldn't tell. Her gaze zoned in on Rose's mouth, her gorgeous, kissable lips...Clara found herself leaning towards them slowly...

Suddenly Clara realised that she was kissing her best friend. Not only that, Rose was kissing back. Her hands had slipped around Clara's waist and she was kissing the life out of her. 

_Oh fuck, she's an amazing kisser too!_ thought Clara, her only coherent thought. Then, all too soon, they broke apart, their faces still mere inches away from each other.

"I guess that was a yes?" asked Rose, sounding genuinely uncertain. Clara slowly nodded. Oh god, she was _nodding_. What was she doing? Did she really want this?

_Yes_ , thought Clara to herself, _I do_. She did. She couldn't deny that. She wanted this more than anything. God knows what the morning would be like, though. Right now, Clara didn't care.

Rose was smiling. "Your place, then?"

****

When Clara heard Rose's moan she thought she must be in heaven.

Once they got inside Clara's flat, they made out furiously against the back of the door, pulling at each other's clothes. Clara felt a wave of daringness come over her as she whispered into Rose's ear "I think that dress looks better on the floor."

It was a cheesy line, but it apparently worked. That was when Rose moaned, and seconds later she was naked, her dress and underwear thrown to a corner. Clara's clothes soon followed suit, and they stumbled into the bedroom, kissing every inch of skin they could get at. There were no more words shared between them, just the sound of sighs and moans, interspersed with kisses and the occasional cry of the other's name.

Clara settled between Rose's legs, lapping at the blonde's clit, feeling as if she was fulfilling a lifelong dream. Rose screamed and shouted, yelling "Oh god, fuck! Fuck! Clara!" over and over as if it were the only words she knew. 

Briefly, at the back of Clara's mind, she wondered if, based on what Rose had said of her past boyfriends, whether any of them had ever bothered to eat Rose out. Clara thought that Rose's cries of pleasure indicated the answer was a no.

When it was Rose's turn, Clara stopped thinking altogether. She didn't even pause to wonder whether Rose had even _done_ this before - eating a girl out, that is. Rose was not the best Clara had ever had, but she was functional enough, and Clara moaned the Rose's name through the whole activity, grasping her blonde hair with one hand, and her own breast with another. 

She was right, Clara decided, when at long last the two women fell back exhausted, cuddling each other to sleep. This was a great idea. Clara drifted off with a smile on her face, holding Rose close.

****

When Clara woke, it was alone in bed. For a moment, the events of the previous night were forgotten, and she wondered why she naked with a pounding headache.

A noise from outside the bedroom caught her attention. Getting up, she threw on a bath robe and stumbled into the hall to find Rose hurriedly gathering her things. Suddenly, Clara remembered everything.

_Oh shit_.

Rose was making for the door, avoiding Clara's gaze. "Don't look at me," she said.

"Rose, I'm..." Clara started.

"No, _I'm_ sorry," cut off Rose, anticipating Clara's apology, "It's my fault. I took advantage of you. I've ruined our friendship. You were right, this wasn't a good idea."

Wiping a tear from her eye, Rose stepped through the door and closed it with an almighty crash. Clara was left standing in her flat alone.


	2. Chapter 2

There was no answer at the door when Amy knocked. Clara hadn't even sent any texts today - complete radio silence like this was extremely unlike her. Amy decided to take drastic action and go right over to her flat.

When nobody came to door, Amy was still undeterred. Calling through the wall, she said: "Clara, it's me, Amy. Are you in there? Are you okay?"

At last, the door finally swung open. Clara, looking as if she'd just got out of bed, wearing her bright blue pajamas and her hair all messy, muttered "hey" in such a quiet, monotone voice that Amy nearly didn't catch it.

"You sick or something?" Amy asked. Clara shrugged and let the redhead in. She flopped dejectedly on the couch by the TV, where she began to spoon ice cream into her mouth right from the tub. Amy looked on in bewilderment.

"If I didn't know better, Clara, I'd say you'd just had a break-up," she said, "But I didn't think you were...well, dating anyone at the moment."

Clara grumbled. She turned her attention to the TV, which was blaring out terrible reality shows. Amy knew from experience as her friend that Clara only watched that kind of rubbish when she was feeling depressed. 

She perched herself on the couch beside the brunette.

"Come on, are you gonna tell me what's wrong? I've been worried about you," she asked, as gently as she could.

"It's stupid really," replied Clara. "It doesn't really matter."

"Well clearly it does," said Amy, gesturing at the tub of ice cream Clara was still digging her way through, "or else you wouldn't be like this!"

Clara didn't immediately reply. The awkward silence hung over them both, filled by the irritating sounds of _Love Island_. Amy waited impatiently for Clara to speak.

"Rose finally broke up with what's-his-name," began Clara quietly. "So I, er...took her out to a bar. We got drunk..."

She trailed off, mumbling something Amy didn't catch. "Sorry?"

"We had sex," said Clara more loudly. Her face was blushing red with shame and embarrassment. "We had sex, and this morning she said it was a big mistake and that she'd ruined our friendship. And she's right." Clara failed to hold back the oncoming tears.

Amy tried her best to take in this sudden amount of information. 

"Okay," she muttered, "That's definitely a lot..."

"There's this, too," continued Clara. She reached for an opened envelope, branded with the insignia of a local school. Amy read its contents - it was a rejection letter.

"I've lost my oldest friend," cried Clara, "And nobody wants to hire me for a job."

"How many schools did you apply to?" Amy asked, tackling the situation she found the easiest first.

"I've just got one who hasn't replied back," said Clara. "They'll probably reject me too."

Amy looked sadly over at Clara, who returned to dejectedly eating ice cream. She was at a loss as to what she should say. Empty platitudes and positivity seemed almost too cliched, too insulting. Amy thought back to Rose - she'd known her for almost as long as Clara, and ever since Clara came out had also known the brunette had feelings for Rose.

This was far more intense a depression for Clara than the kind after a bad break-up.

"Y'know," began Amy, "You two have been friends for so long now. Even longer than both of you have known me - I've seen you argue with Rose before and make up with her more times than I can count. You're friends. You two could get through anything together, I'm sure of it."

Clara sighed. 

"How do we bounce back from _this_ , though?" she said. "All it's done is..." Clara hesitated. "Remind me of my feelings for her. I spent years pushing that down because I knew she wouldn't like me...that way. And now look what it's come to!"

Clara softly cried into her ice cream. Amy pondered.

"Who initiated it?" she asked.

Clara looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Who initiated it?" repeated Amy. "As in, who was the first one to initiate sex?"

Clara blushed. "It was - er - Rose, I guess."

A grin crept onto Amy's face. "Y'know, Clara, I don't think your crush on Rose is a one-sided as you believe it to be."

"Oh come on, Amy!" Clara snapped. "Don't do that. You're supposed to be helping. You _know_ Rose is straight, encouraging me having feelings for her is the _least_ helpful thing you can do!"

"Does a straight girl suggest having sex with her female friend whilst drunk, Clara?"

"Yes!" Clara said exasperatedly. "Or...maybe. I don't know. Look, she was just lonely and wanted some comfort and I was too drunk to say no!"

Amy was still smiling. "Honestly, Clara, you are so inexperienced with alcohol. God, when I was a kissogram..." She shivered as if shaking away the thought. "Anyway, the point is, I've seen _a lot_ of drunk people in my time, and I know that it doesn't turn them into something they're not, it just exaggerates the things that they usually hide. Their whole filter is turned off."

Clara wobbled on the spot. Amy could tell her brain was wracking, trying to take in this info.

"I guess...I dunno..." she muttered at last. Amy hugged her.

"Clara, trust me," she said soothingly. "I think you and Rose will get through this. It'll be awkward, yes, but talk to her...or if you want, I can go see her today as well. You two are my best friends, and I'm not going to let either of you go over something like this, okay?"

"Okay," said Clara, a tear running slowly down her cheek.

"Right," said Amy. "And as for the teacher job, don't worry. Even if they don't hire you, someone's bound to eventually. Have you seen yourself with kids? You're a natural. Frankly, those other schools are idiots if they don't think having Clara Oswald is worthwhile."

Clara wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Thanks, Amy," she said quietly. "Um, I guess I'd prefer it if you talk to Rose first."

"Of course," Amy smiled kindly.


	3. Chapter 3

After leaving Clara's apartment, Rose hurried home in a state of shock. Flashes of images from the night before hurtled through her mind, and she did her best to repress them. It was only when she burst through the door of her flat that she burst out crying, a small part of her feeling proud of herself for not breaking down on public transport.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" came the voice of Jackie Tyler. She hurried out of the kitchen with a worried look, wrapping the crying Rose into her arms for a bone-crushing hug.

"It's...it's..." Rose didn't know how to say. How do you tell your mother that you had sex with your childhood friend whilst drunk? Rose let out another sob at the thought of confessing that to Jackie.

"There, there," Jackie said soothingly, "it'll be alright. I suppose it's that Derek fella, or whatever his name is? I never thought he was any good anyway."

Rose meekly nodded. "We broke up."

Jackie patted her daughter reassuringly on the back. "Well, there's always more fish in the sea, Rose," she said. "And he wasn't a great sort for you."

Rose sniffed, shuffling off to her bedroom in a dour mood.

What was she supposed to do now? Just pretend like everything was alright? Her mother thought she was crying over a boy, and she didn't have the heart to correct her.

_I'm crying over a girl instead_ , thought Rose. The thought didn't help her mood. Every time she thought about Clara, she remembered what a complete mess she'd made of things. She thought about how drunk they'd gotten, how Clara had kissed her, the things she'd done with her tongue...

_No. No! Don't think about that! That's your best friend!_ thought Rose. _I've known her since we were eleven, how could I do such a thing?!_

_Why did I do such a thing?_

Rose stopped sobbing and lay on her bed, stumped. _Why did I do that?_ she asked herself, not out of despair but out of genuine confusion.

A voice inside her head whispered: _Why shouldn't you? It's Clara - she's kind, funny, gorgeous, I mean have you seen those lips, practically made for kissing -_

"No," Rose said out loud, stopping the intrusive thought. "No, I'm not gay. I've only dated boys."

_But how many of those boys have you actually liked?_ said the voice again. Rose couldn't form a rebuttal. In fact, she was always drawn to the same sort of guy - distant, hard to love, called her hot but cared little for her as a person, but nevertheless conventionally handsome - and that was all. Rose couldn't bring herself to say she found them anything other than aesthetically appealing.

She thought about Clara again. That long brown hair of hers, those big, sad eyes that bore into her soul, the sound of her laugh, the smell of her skin, the way she kissed her deeply and fully, the fact that she was the only person in the world who'd ever given her a proper orgasm...

Oh, god.

Rose's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. It was her mum, and a certain red-haired friend.

"Amy's here," announced Jackie. "I thought you could use the company."

"Thanks, mum," sighed Rose. Amy came and sat down by the bed, staring at Rose expectantly.

"Well?" she asked impatiently.

"Well...what?" Rose replied.

"Have you figured it out yet?"

"You're going to need to give me more information than this, Amy," said Rose.

Amy sighed. "Alright, alright. Basically, Clara's told me everything" - Rose's breath hitched - "And it's okay, she's fine, not mad or anything, just feeling down," put in Amy, noticing Rose's reaction. "She thinks she's ruined things as much as you do."

Amy smiled. "She's had a crush on you since childhood, did you know that?" Rose gulped. She didn't, no - but why did admission make her...happy?

"Oh," was all the blonde could bring herself to say.

"Yeah," continued Amy, "and I think you have as well, to be fair."

Rose started to protest, sputtering out: "I haven't, I...I only..."

She stopped. Amy giggled. "Only liked men? Rose, I know you. You've been in here the last few minutes questioning your sexuality. And it's okay. I understand. I'm bi too, remember. It's perfectly natural to -"

"I'm a lesbian," blurted out Rose. Amy looked startled.

"Or that," said the redhead. "That's fine too."

"Oh god," panicked Rose. "What have I been doing? I can't think straight right now..."

"I don't think you'll ever think 'straight' again," sniggered Amy. Rose shot her a glare. "Okay, okay," the redhead backed off, "Bad joke. But seriously - I understand where you're at. But I'm here for you. I will do anything to help you, I promise."

"What do I do about Clara?" asked Rose anxiously.

Amy smiled. "I think you should tell her how you feel."


End file.
